The Indian women’s cricket team is set to undergo a 10-day training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, which would be a preparation period for the highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 starting on October 3. Ahead of the 9th edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) made an official announcement about the training camp led by head coach Amol Muzumdar.
All the players, which includes the latest arrival of these two squad members namely Yastika Bhatia and Shreyanka Patil, have been included in the 15-member squad.
Earlier, the wicketkeeper Yastika sustained a grade 1 tear of PCL, a mild knee injury during the first out of a match T20I series against Bangladesh in March 2024 and since then she has been receiving treatment at NCA. The all-rounder Shreyanka fractured her finger during India’s tournament opener clash against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2024 in July. Both these players have successfully cleared the fitness clearance and signed the NOC (No Objection Certificate) to take part in the camp at NCA.
Indian Women’s Training Camp at NCA before T20 WC 2024: Important Facts to be known
The complete 15-member squad as well as the reserve players will be attending the training camp at NCA starting from September 10 in Bengaluru.
The main aim of this camp is to sharpen the skills of the players so that they remain in peak form throughout the T20 World Cup 2024. Furthermore, the team will be split into two to play intra-squad games, expected to be performed under lights, which will be a part of their preparation for the mega event. This is because, the runner-up of the T20 World Cup 2020, is scheduled to play 3 out of 4 group stage matches under the lights, except the ones against Pakistan on 6th October in Dubai.
Once the 10-day training session is completed at the camp, players will get a 4-day break to spend time with their families to relax. Before traveling to the UAE, the squad members need to get assembled in Mumbai on September 24. The women-in-blue will have to play two warm-up games against West Indies on 29th September and South Africa on 1st October before commencing their T20 WC campaign on 4th October against New Zealand.
A Tough Challenge in Group Stages for India Women in T20 World Cup 2024
India Women are placed in Group A along with these competitive teams in the T20 World Cup 2024 such as:
- Australia Women
- New Zealand Women
- Pakistan Women
- Sri Lanka Women
An overall of 10 teams are participating in the tournament that are divided into 2 groups with each group consisting of 5 teams. Out of which, the top two teams from Group A and Group B qualify for the knockout stages. In such scenarios, Harmanpreet Kaur’s led side should win at least 3 out of 4 games in the group stages to qualify for the semi-finals on a safer side. As a result, the training camp at NCA for 10 days will be crucial for India to work on their strengths and analyze weaknesses to improve and enter the tournament as a dominant side.
India’s 15-Member Squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
Here is the list of players included in the squad along with the reserve players mentioned below in detail:
- Batter (3): Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana (Vice Captain), Dayalan Hemalatha
- Bowler (3): Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Radha Yadav
- All-rounder (7): Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Pooja Vastrakar, Asha Sobhana, Sajana Sajeevan, Shreyanka Patil
- Wicketkeeper (2): Yastika Bhatia and Richa Ghosh
- Traveling Reserve Players (3): Tanuja Kanwar, Saima Thakor and Uma Chetry (wicketkeeper).
- Non-Traveling Reserve Players (2): Priya Mishra and Raghvi Bist.
Conclusion:
Overall, the main aim of this 10-day camp at NCA is to prepare the Indian women’s team to achieve its first ICC World Cup victory. As a result, the intra-squad matches planned during the 10-day training program at NCA re-create the perfect match conditions played at the international level that help players have the ability to alter their performance according to different scenarios.
It is understood that the camp at NCA will focus on crucial elements of the game such as batting, bowling, fielding, wicketkeeping, physical stamina, and mental fitness. Every player is mandated to undergo a rigorous practice session to improve their cricketing skills and on-field performances.
Finally, the Indian women cricketers are gearing up for the T20 World Cup 2024, and every fan and supporter is eagerly waiting to watch Team India contribute their best performance on a global stage to win the most prestigious trophy.